From Classroom to Culture: Rowville Primary School’s Journey with the Four Rooms of Change

At Rowville Primary School, the Four Rooms of Change wasn’t just a theory—it was a daily practice. By integrating the model into classrooms and staff meetings, the school created a shared language for emotions, improved student empathy, and built a more supportive learning environment.

Background

Rowville Primary School is a primary school operating in Melbourne’s Eastern Metropolitan Region. The school offers a dynamic, caring, and supportive learning environment that aims to provide the best possible education by encouraging students to develop academic skills and become good citizens. The school teaches students to show respect for themselves, others, and the school as a whole. In 2010, Principal Anne Babich and several senior members of her teaching staff decided to participate in the TLN pilot project in Victoria, which launched in 2011.

The school had used the restorative justice approach as an intervention process for several years and saw that the Four Rooms of Change could provide an effective, complementary prevention process in the classroom. Senior teachers also felt strongly that the program would help students develop emotional literacy. Along with the teacher training program, all adults in the school began working with the Four Rooms of Change as part of their professional development. Additionally, the Organizational Barometer was used as part of a whole-school implementation.

A Whole-School Approach

At the start of each year, the entire staff participates in a learning conversation about the Four Rooms, and the tool is displayed in the staff room and presented at all staff meetings.

Then, the school staff participate in group dialogue using the Four Rooms of Change as a common language, just as the students in the classrooms would do. For the principal, this means that a quick visit to the staff room provides an immediate snapshot of the organization as a whole and its individuals.

Teachers working with the Children’s Four Rooms in classrooms at Rowville Primary School have been surprised to discover that the program assists students in communicating their thoughts and emotions and has also become a significant part of their overall classroom experience. Positive effects include enabling teachers to share their feelings with the class in a safe, nonconfrontational way; helping students and teachers focus on learning goals; and helping disruptive students recognize the impact of their behavior on other class members, encouraging them to change it.

The Four Rooms has also enabled students to follow the emotional journeys of characters in various texts. Students regularly use the Four Rooms as a reference for descriptive words in their writing and to reflect on themselves as learners.

Teachers now comment on how they observe students building empathy for each other. When a student moves their magnet down to the lower rooms, their peers instantly notice and ask if there is anything they can do to help. Sometimes, simply noticing or caring to help can change their emotions, while other times, a more in-depth conversation is needed to solve the issue. Teachers also share examples of how working with the Four Rooms has drawn their attention to difficult personal issues that students are dealing with and has helped them support these students.

Testimonials from Rowville Primary School, Australia

The Four Rooms of Change is a whole school strategy that complements our whole school approach to teaching and learning and relationship building. Our work is all about developing student centred learning and developing reflective behaviours. The Four Rooms of Change helps students and staff to develop a common language that is then used in everyday conversations to communicate about the inner self, develop emotional awareness of self and others and enhance general wellbeing for everyone.

Anne Babich, Principal

Overall I found that students developed their ability to describe their emotions. I also found that there was an increase in student empathy and assisting others to feel better. The Four Rooms of Change wasn’t something that was extra work but instead it complemented every part of our classroom. This has been an incredibly valuable experience for my students and I am really looking forward to continuing this as a part of my classroom.

Kate Chinner, Year 3 Teacher

There are many programs designed to teach emotional literacy. Where the Four Rooms of Change differs is that there is no prescribed formula. It is simply recognising how everyone feels and knowing that it is OK to feel a certain way. This program made a huge difference in a classroom which had a range of complex personal issues over the course of the year.
It enabled students to develop a greater vocabulary to describe emotions and provided an outlet to for students to express themselves without always having to be verbal.

Shannon Young, Year 6 Teacher

I like using the Four Rooms because everyone knows what I am feeling. They can help me if I am sad or angry and I can help other people feel better by being friendly. The feeling chart helps me tell others how I feel inside and lets them know when I need to calm down.

Year 1 Student

I want the Four Rooms next year in our class because it helps people know what you are feeling and you know what the teacher is feeling and what your class mates are feeling and you know how to cheer them up. The Four Rooms helps me understand how I am feeling.

Year 3 Student

Doing the Four Rooms this year has made me realise that I’m not the only one feeling upset or stressed. Knowing this has helped me because I can talk to them and I don’t bottle it up. It has also helped me by knowing how others are feeling and for me to ‘keep an eye’ on them. It has helped me to be more open about what I feel. Knowing what everyone feels has helped me better understand everyone in my class. At the start of the year I thought it was boring and a waste of time. Now I like the Four Rooms because I can know what I am feeling and I can do something about it. I have quickly realised how quickly I can change per day. Sometimes when I am at home I wish we had the Four Rooms!

Year 6 Student

Photo

Laura Rivera, Unsplash